Jean Lodge, a classic movie actress known for her roles alongside icons like Alan Ladd and the mother of The Nanny star Charles Shaughnessy, has passed away.
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Lodge died on August 5, one day after her 99th birthday, according to her granddaughter Amy Shaughnessy, who shared the sad news on Facebook.
“My grandmother was a beautiful, talented, complicated, passionate, emotional, energetic woman who was always on the move and full of life,” Amy Shaughnessy wrote in her tribute alongside several candid shots of the actress from over the decades.
“The perfect hostess, Jean enjoyed parties, friends, socializing, the theatre, feeding the ducks, museums, gardening, music, culture, long walks in nature, animals, painting (she was amazing!), cooking, art, traveling … the list goes on,” she added.
Jean Lodge Starred Alongside Other Classic Actors Like Peter Cushing
Born on Aug. 4, 1927, in Hull, Yorkshire, England, Lodge began her career on stage at the Windsor Repertory Company before making her film debut in 1949 with Dick Barton Strikes Back and Dr. Morelle: The Case of the Missing Heiress.
She went on to co-star with Kenneth More in the comedy Brandy for the Parson (1952). She then played Queen Guinevere in 1954’s The Black Knight alongside Alan Ladd, also featuring horror legend Peter Cushing.
Her other film credits included White Corridors (1951), Final Appointment (1954), Accidental Death (1963), The Eyes of Annie Jones (1963), and Invasion (1966), according to IMDb.
Her husband, Alfred Shaughnessy, earned two Emmy nominations as a screenwriter and made his mark by developing and leading the writing and production of the UK series Upstairs, Downstairs (1971–75). The couple shared their lives together from 1948 until his death in 2005.
She leaves behind her sons Charles Shaughnessy, known for his role as Maxwell Sheffield on The Nanny, and Shane Donovan, a TV producer and director.
She is also survived by her granddaughters Jenny, Katie, Maddy, and Josie, and great-grandsons Julian and Noa.